NY Yankees Alex Rodriguez has Tied Barry Bonds on Career RBI List

By Cheri Cheng - 29 May '15 10:36AM

Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds now have even more things in common. The New York Yankees veteran has tied Bonds for second place on the career RBI list.

Rodriguez recorded his 1,996 RBI in Thursday's game against the Oakland Athletics, which the Yankees lost 5-4, on a fifth-inning sacrifice fly. The all-time leader is Hank Aaron with 2,297.

Rodriguez and Bonds' exact ranking is still a bit unclear. Baseball-reference.com and mlb.com both have Babe Ruth second on the list. However, since the RBI only became an official statistic in 1920, the exact numbers have been disputed. Elias Sports Bureau, which is recognized as the sport's official statistician, has Rodriguez and Bonds second on the list.

"You say the same thing about [Lou] Gehrig and Ruth, and Barry's the same thing, he's one of the greats,'' Rodriguez, who passed Gehrig's 1,993 on Wednesday with a three-run homerun, said.

He added in regards to tying Bonds' record. "This is kind of special because he's also a friend and I know him really well. Barry is a great guy and he is a true professor of the game of baseball. One of the great minds out there right now, one of the smartest guys I've ever talked to. Loves the game, extremely passionate about the game and it was fun for me to kind of work with a professor like Barry, someone who loves the game so much."

Rodriguez worked out with Bonds in January before making his comeback, which has been very impressive so far. His production level has certainly shocked many throughout the league.

"I haven't played a lot of baseball in the last two years, but I feel like I'm in a good place. I'm happy. I'm having fun," Rodriguez said, according to Mike Fitzpatrick of the Associated Press via the Denver Post. "I think for me in a weird way the time off was a blessing in disguise. I was able to get some rest, change my workout regimen a little bit. I just feel like I'm in a better place and more explosive than I've been."

Rodriguez was suspended in 2014 for using performance-enhancing drugs. He is hitting .277 this season so far with 11 homeruns, 27 RBIs and 43 hits.